WASHINGTON: According to a study, the language used in Facebook publications predicts the future risk of depression as accurately as the tools used by clinicians in medical settings to screen for the disorder.
By analyzing social media data shared by consenting users in the months leading up to the diagnosis of depression, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and Stony Brook University in the United States developed a algorithm for accurately predicting future depression.
Indicators of the condition included mentions of hostility and loneliness, words such as "tears" and "feelings," as well as the use of more first-person pronouns such as "I" and "me," said researchers.
"What people write in social media and online represents an aspect of life that is very difficult to access in medicine and research," said H Andrew Schwartz, principal investigator of the 39, a study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Take notes, eat healthy and exercise daily: 7 ways to fight depression
Combat Depression
October 10, 2018
Stress and frustration can lead to depression, further affecting mental health.
If it is imperative to consult a health care professional if symptoms of depression are observed, some lifestyle modifications may help combat mild depression. However, moderate to severe depression requires medication.
Nevertheless, lifestyle changes help cure and prevent illness and future episodes.
Dr. Pallavi Aravind Joshi, consulting psychiatrist at Columbia Asia Hospital in Whitefield (Bengaluru), shares 7 tips to fight depression.
Train regularly
October 10, 2018
Take a walk every day, go jogging or swimming. You can also join a Zumba class. Do yoga or aerobics. In addition to keeping you fit and busy, exercising can also improve mental health and instill a positive attitude in life by releasing wellness hormones like endorphins, dopamine and serotonin. The exercise also channels the negative energy.
Switch to a healthy diet
October 10, 2018
Healthy eating not only helps you maintain your physical health, but also contributes to your mental well-being. Include in your diet a variety of fruits, vegetables, lean meats, poultry, whole grains, low-fat dairy products and fish. Do not forget to drink a lot of water.
Do not stress yourself too much
October 10, 2018
It is imperative to maintain a work-life balance. Try to re-evaluate your schedule and not bring work home. Design your own ways to combat work-related anxiety.
Quit these addictions
October 10, 2018
Although consumption of alcohol, tobacco and caffeine can act as an instant mood enhancer, it only serves in the long run to aggravate your mental health. So try to reduce your weekly consumption.
"This is a relatively untapped dimension compared to the biophysical markers of the disease. By taking into account conditions such as depression, anxiety and PTSD, for example, you find more signals in the way people express themselves digitally, "said Schwartz.
The researchers identified data from people agreeing to share Facebook statuses and electronic medical record information.
They analyzed the states with the help of machine learning techniques to distinguish people diagnosed with formal depression.
Nearly 1,200 people agreed to provide both digital archives. Of these, only 114 people were diagnosed with depression in their medical records.
The researchers then compared each person diagnosed with depression to five other undiagnosed individuals, to serve as a control to a total sample of 683 people.
The idea was to create as realistic a scenario as possible to train and test the algorithm, researchers said.
To build this algorithm, researchers looked at 524,292 Facebook updates of the years leading up to diagnosis for each person suffering from depression and during the same period for control.
They determined the most frequently used words and phrases, and then modeled 200 subjects to analyze what they called "language markers associated with depression".
Finally, they compared how and how often the depressed and control participants used such phrasing.
The researchers learned that these markers included emotional, cognitive and interpersonal processes such as hostility and loneliness, sadness and rumination.
They could predict future depression three months before the first documentation of the disease in a medical record.
"There is a perception that using social media is not good for mental health, but it may prove to be an important tool for diagnosing, monitoring, and possibly treating," he said. Schwartz.
"Here we showed that it can be used with clinical records, a step forward to improve mental health through social media," he said.
Say goodbye to worries: 5 natural ways to beat stress
Simple anti-stress hacks
July 19, 2018
A recent Optum study found that 46% of the Indian workforce said they were suffering from a form of stress. Do not let your busy and stressful work life hurt you. Excessive stress can have a negative effect on your body, your mood and your behaviors, from headaches to anxiety, fatigue and irritability. Dr. Hariprasad, expert in Ayurveda at Himalaya Drug, shares the natural methods of coping with stress:
Eat well
July 19, 2018
Your eating habits have a significant impact on stress levels. Tracking the balance of different foods and nutrients is essential. A diet rich in different foods such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, dairy products, fish and poultry would help you get carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals. A well-nourished body is better able to cope with the physical and emotional effects of stress.
Relax with physical activity
July 19, 2018
All forms of physical activity are useful for managing stress. Exercise has many benefits, such as release of endorphins and calming of the mind, which helps reduce the level of stress. Even 45 minutes of physical activity a day contribute greatly to stress management.
Organize your life
July 19, 2018
Organizing your workload creates a sense of control and peace of mind, and there are many ways to achieve it. One way to do this is to adopt time management, prioritize tasks, and schedule their execution. Changing tasks and stacking them often becomes an additional source of stress. Decentralizing tasks or asking for help as needed is also a good way to reduce stress levels.
Use herbs in the daily diet
July 19, 2018
Herbs like Ashwagandha have been shown to be effective in managing the negative effects of stress. According to Ayurveda, Ashvagandha helps reduce the harmful effects of long-term stress by rejuvenating the mind and body. It is an adaptogen that helps the body stabilize physiological processes, better withstand stress and maintain a healthy balance between various biological systems.
